Equipment belts worn in some occupations (such as law enforcement) often carry several pounds of gear. For example, a typical equipment belt worn by a police officer will include several attached items, including a gun, holster, hand cuffs, spare magazines, flashlight, Taser®, pepper spray, radio, baton, and other items. The collective weight can easily exceed 20 to 30 pounds. This weight, when worn on the hips in the usual manner, can cause inflammation of the sacroiliac joint, which is located at the bottom of the back, on either side of the spine.
Some prior art methods of alleviating this burden focused on redistributing the weight, for example, by providing attachments to clothing or materials that are worn over the shoulder. For example, suspenders can be attached to a belt to help carry the burden on the shoulders rather than entirely on the hips. This also helps redistribute some of the weight from the hips to the shoulders.
However, in prior art systems, the location of the harness or attachments can create other problems. Typically, law enforcement uniform and safety standards forbid an external suspension system. For example, if a harness is worn outside the clothing to alleviate weight on an equipment belt, the harness is exposed, which is subject to snagging on objects, providing a “handle” on the wearer, or in some other way violating department uniform standards. Under some circumstances, this can be extremely disadvantageous and pose safety issues, such as when the wearer must navigate tight spaces where the torso may rub against other objects (creating the snagging hazard). In law enforcement, where the wearer may be required to engage in a physical altercation (creating the “handle” hazard), an exposed suspension system can present a considerable safety issue, by giving an adversary a convenient grip having considerable leverage, potentially putting the wearer in danger in a physical fight while attempting to subdue and arrest a suspect. Law enforcement personnel widely refer to such an exposed suspension system as “suicide straps.”
Additionally, because the equipment belt is designed for wearing outside the clothing, prior art support harnesses cannot easily be worn beneath the clothing. This generally is possible only if the clothing itself were modified to allow an interior support harness to pass through the clothing at a strategic point (such as using a hole cut into the clothing) to connect the interior harness to the exterior equipment belt. In cases where a protective vest or other protective garment is worn beneath clothing, integrating a support and connecting the interior vest support with the exterior equipment belt would require holes or other pass-through means, which could compromise protection.
Thus, there is a need for a way to alleviate discomfort arising from heavy equipment belts by providing additional support that can preferably be worn beneath the clothing to avoid the hazards mentioned above, meet safety standards, and comply with uniform standards.
In an exemplary embodiment, the present innovations include a support system with attachments configured to connect to an equipment belt, such as a utility or gun belt. In other embodiments, the innovations are characterized by a harness (or other item suspension or weight distribution means, such as suspenders) that attaches to an equipment belt. The suspension system includes attachments that connect to the equipment belt, but which also allow the system to be worn beneath the clothing (such as beneath a uniform) without modification of the clothing. The system utilizes a static joint to aid in retaining the uniform (or other exterior clothing) in place during vigorous activity. A shirt can be tucked in and retained by the static joint while an extension exits from the pants to provide support to an equipment belt. Various embodiments include modifications to accommodate a wide range of uses and environments, such as those encountered by police, military personnel, electricians, maintenance personnel, security personnel, etc.